All stops for Dream Cruises

DREAM Cruises treated its trade partners and media to a lavish event in Sydney yesterday as a sign of the company’s appreciation of their support.

The adventure started with a scenic ride on the “Dream Cruises Express” - a branded Hillsbus currently operating on certain surburban routes.

The bus then pulled up at Sails on Lavender Bay, where the group caught up with the “Dream Team” over lunch.

Dream Cruises is working to build up its presence in the local market as part of an ambition to bring a Global class vessel to Australia in 2021.

The line currently has two Global class ships on order with shipyard MV Werften, for delivery late 2020 and 2021.

At 204,000 tonnes, the Global class would be larger than the 168,666-tonne Ovation of the

Seas, which currently holds the title for the largest cruise ship to ever sail in Australian waters.

Genting Cruise Lines’ svp international sales, Michael Goh told TD the plan for the class was to have a six-month operation in North Asia followed by another six months in Asia Pacific.

“Australia has been identified as one of the places that we wanted to come,” he said.

Goh said Dream was aiming to bring the class down under in 2021, so firm deployment plans would have to be ready by 2019.